South Charlotte Today

City Manager Marcus D. Jones presented his Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Budget to the mayor and members of City Council today.

"We have been working to develop a budget that builds on the success of the past several years and focuses on investing in our communities as well as taking care of the people who work for and take care of our city," said City Manager Marcus Jones. "I'm very excited about the future of our organization and the future of Charlotte. As we continue to come out from the pandemic, I know we will emerge stronger together."

Highlights of the proposed FY 2023 budget include:

• A balanced and fiscally responsible budget that:
  • Does not increase taxes
  • Does not reduce core services
  • Does not use any operating reserves
  • Does not layoff or furlough employees
• Focuses on retaining and investing in our employees
  • Provides an eight percent salary increase for all General Hourly Employees (four percent in July and four percent in January)
  • Increases the minimum wage to $20/hour for 40-hour per week employees by January 2023
  • Increases starting police officer and firefighter pay by 9 percent in July, and 10.5 percent by January 2023
  • Provides a three percent market adjustment (1.5 percent in July and January) plus a 2.5 to 5 percent step increase for all eligible public safety pay plan employees
  • No increase to employee healthcare premiums
  • Provides a four percent merit pool for salaried employees
  • Provides a two percent retention incentive (from American Rescue Plan Act funds) for full-time employees (Senior Management and Executives not included)
  • Creates a 2.5 percent salary incentive for jobs that require Commercial Driver's License
  • Supports a shift differential incentive of 2.5 percent beginning in January 2023
  • Enhances the education incentive so there is no up-front cost for employees to receive an associate's degree from CPCC
  • Provides for homeownership assistance for city employees through the House Charlotte homeowner assistance program with $2 million in the program dedicated for city employees
• Plans for our future through the $226 million 2022 bond:
  • Maintains $50 million investment in affordable housing
  • Triples the 2020 bond funding for the sidewalk program, from $15 million to $50 million
  • Doubles the 2020 bond totals for the bike program, from $4 million to $8 million
  • Provides $17.1million of funding for the Vision Zero strategy:
    • $12.6 million to enhance transportation safety, more than six times the previous bond funding of $2 million in the 2018 and 2020 bonds
    • $4.5 million for Street Lighting program - new program to implement new street lighting projects along high-injury network streets or to enhance existing street lighting by converting existing lights to LED
  • Invests $10 million for the Corridors of Opportunity program
  • Invest $10 million in congestion mitigation projects in South Charlotte, University City, and Steele Creek.

Additional Budget Highlights

Economic Development

• Provides $1.3 million in direct MWSBE support including $800,000 for a Capital Access Program and CBI Bonding Program
• Proposes use of $30 million from ARPA Tranche 2 for affordable housing initiatives that support strategic partnerships, reduce displacement risk, and advance staying in place

Environment, Engagement and Equity

• Invests $4.5 million on city building sustainability, $1.45 million for electric vehicle supply equipment locations, and adds 55 fully electric vehicles to the city's fleet
• Allocates $48.8 million within the five-year CIP to construct three fire stations, one of which will be the city's first all-electric fire station
• Supports the ADA program with $209,918 for new positions along with an additional $3.25 million in program funding
• Proposes use of $16 million from ARPA Tranche 2 for community investments that support job and workforce development and, Minority Women, and Small Businesses

Great Neighborhoods

• Leverages federal funds and previous council allocations to provide $55 million in additional resources to support affordable housing and staying in place initiatives in addition to maintaining the $50 million investment in Affordable Housing
• Makes modifications to the House Charlotte Homeownership Assistance Program to meet current market standards including:
  • Increases maximum loan amount for households earning 80 percent AMI and below to $30,000
  • Increases the maximum purchase price to $300,000 for existing construction and $315,000 for new construction
• Increases funding for the Sidewalk program, from $15 million to $50 million

Safe Communities

• Provides funding to ensure a safe community for all by operationalizing the SAFE Charlotte plan:
  • Proposes $1 million for SAFE Charlotte grant program supporting community organizations
  • Launches Civilian Assistance: Respond, Engage, Support (CARES) Team for mental health, substance abuse, homelessness calls for service
    • Awarded $330,000 from the State to support administration and evaluation of CARES Team (one of three North Carolina cities)
  • Leverages $1 million in federal funds to expand the Alternatives to Violence program to two new sites
  • Updates internal operations at CMPD
    • Provides $118,000 for new Early Intervention System

Transportation and Planning

• Replaces $6.8 million state funding reduction to street resurfacing, plus adds $3.4 million to the program
• Dedicates $157.3 million towards capital roads and intersection infrastructure projects within the 5-year CIP. FY 2023 includes:
  • $12.7 million to improve Eastway Drive/Shamrock Drive Intersection
  • $7.3 million to improve Rea Road

The proposed budget will have a public hearing on May 9, followed by budget adjustments on May 11 and straw votes on May 25. The budget will be considered by Council for adoption on May 31. The 2023 fiscal year begins July 1, 2022.

To learn more about these and other important initiatives of the proposed FY 2023 budget, please visit charlottenc.gov/budget.

Original source can be found here.